V-Day hoax call to stop girl's wedding

A man from Uttar Pradesh has been detained for allegedly misinforming police about a possible terror attack being planned by a Pune resident.

An investigation now points out to the possibility that the detainee wanted to stop the man's marriage to his girlfriend by framing him in a terror plot.

The man, Jatin Chaudhary, allegedly called the Mumbai police control room claiming that terrorists had entered the city and would carry out major attacks at Juhu Chowpatty and Bandra Bandstand on February 14 - Valentine's Day.

According to the police, the caller had identified himself 'Raju' and gave four to five names, and the number of a Pune resident.

However, Chaudhary's plan backfired. On receiving the call, the Mumbai police sprung into action to trace the caller's number. When they got no leads, they checked the other number, which belonged to the girl's fiancé. The Mumbai police passed on the information to their counterparts in Pune.

During questioning, the man said he suspected Chaudhary's role in the incident. He told the Pune police that Chaudhary would harass his would-be wife by calling her.

The police traced Chaudhary's number to Uttar Pradesh. He was detained on Tuesday and the Pune police are questioning him, said Ambadas Pote, spokesperson, Mumbai police.

According to the police, Chaudhary, who works as a plumber, was involved with a girl in Pune. However, when her family arranged her marriage to another man, Chaudhary decided to tell the police that he was a terrorist and would conduct blasts in Mumbai.

Chaudhary believed that the police would arrest the fiancé and his girlfriend's wedding would be cancelled, police said.